Peter George Olenchuk, 78, an Army major general
who oversaw a controversial program in the late 1960s involving the dumping
of outmoded nerve gas rockets hundreds of miles off the Florida coast,
died October 6, 2000 at his home in Ogunquit, Maine. He also had a residence
in McLean, Virginia.

General Olenchuk, who spent most of his career
in the Chemical Warfare Service, worked on the now-defunct Operation CHASE,
which stood for Cut Holes and Sink 'Em. The program involved shipping materiel
such as the old nerve gas rockets to the coastline, loading them on boats
and scuttling the contaminated ships.

General Olenchuk was promoted to brigadier
general in 1970 and appointed Commanding General of the Army Ammunition
Procurement and Supply Agency in Illinois.

After his promotion to major general in 1973,
he became the Army's director of materiel acquisition. He retired in 1975
as assistant deputy chief of staff for research, development and acquisition.

Through the early 1990s, he did consulting
work in management and national security affairs for the Army and private
firms. He was board chairman of Timex Defense Products Corp. from 1977
until 1981. He was a member of the Army science and technology board of
the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council, a scientific
advisory panel to Congress.

General Olenchuk was a native of Bayonne, New
Jersey, and a graduate of Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania. He received
a master's degree in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin and a
master's degree in business administration from George Washington University.

He enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers
in 1943 and served in North Africa and the Far East during World War II.
He became a commissioned officer in 1945, and his assignments in the 1960s
included two tours of duty in the Vietnam War and thecommand of Fort Detrick near Frederick, Maryland.

His decorations included the Distinguished
Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, the Joint Service Commendation
Medal and two awards of the Air Medal.

His wife of 52 years, the former Ruth A. Clement,
died in 1998. In 1970, his then-13-year-old daughter, Mary Catherine, was
kidnapped and killed. The case, which occurred in Ogunquit, is still unsolved.

Survivors include two daughters, Nancy Shaw
of South Hadley, Mass., and Jane Olenchuk of Cos Cob, Conn.; a sister;
a brother; and four grandchildren.
OLENCHUK, PETER GEORGE (Age 78)

Major General, United States Army (Ret.)

On Friday, October 6, 2000, of McLean,
VA and Ogunquit, ME, Major General PETER G. OLENCHUK, died suddenly of
a stroke at his Maine residence. Husband of the late Ruth Clement Olenchuk.
He is survived by two daughters, one brother, one sister and four grandchildren.
Preceded in death by his daughter, Mary Catherine. Mass of Christian Burial
will be celebrated on Thursday, October 26, 12:45 p.m. at the Fort Myer
Old Post Chapel. Interment with Full Military Honors, Arlington National
Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Mary Catherine
Olenchuk Endowment Fund at the Convent of the Sacred Heart - Greenwich,
1177 King St., Greenwich, CT 06831.
Posted:
1 November 2000 Updated: 18 September 2005